23It's funny how everything can begin with a simple phone call.
"Hello?"
"Junie? I have some excellent news for you!"
"Lyssie, why are you calling me right now?" I sighed through the mouthpiece. "You could've waited until Friday, which is when we usually have our weekly phone calls."
"I couldn't have waited. This is big, June."
I wondered if she had gotten a promotion. "Are you, like, a senior executive of McKinsey now?"
I heard her snort from the other end. "I wish. But trust me, you'll like this. Okay. Are you ready, baby sis?"
"I haven't been a baby for years," I corrected. "But yes, let's hear it."
"All righty- I'm getting married."
My mouth dropped open. My sister, Ms. I'm-Probably-Going-To-Die-Happily-Single, was getting hitched. Oh, God. That meant that soon I'd be walking down the aisle. I almost laughed at the thought but then realized that I had left my sister hanging after her dramatic statement. "That's great, Lyssie!" I ensured that I maintained a steady, yet slightly high-pitched voice. I didn't want my sister to think that I was surprised that her boyfriend of five years, David, had actually proposed. Not that he didn't love her or anything; it was just that he wasn't very…open with his emotions- not to mention he was also kind of shy, although Alyssa denied it multiple times. I didn't want to know the reasons behind her claims that he was "very warm, open, and hardly shy at all". The "warm" and "open" words were especially off-putting.
"Isn't it?" I could almost imagine her beaming face, and I couldn't help but smile myself although she couldn't see my expression. "Oh, June, this is so surreal. I never thought I'd get married. Remember how we used to talk about how we'd screw marriage and share an apartment together instead?"
"And pig out on junk every day," I continued, grinning. "I guess that's not going to happen any time soon."
"No," she agreed. "But… I'm like, still in a dream state. David was so romantic! He proposed in my favorite place in Central Park, where it's all secluded and stuff. Then he just dropped down on one knee, and…" She drifted off. "Well, you know how it goes. Anyway, Mom and Dad are thrilled. You know how much they love David."
"I love him too," I protested. "Just not the way you do." Which was completely true. David was like the older brother that I never had. He and I weren't buddies or anything, but he was always kind to me. Plus, he obviously adored my sister. His eyes would always grow wide and bright whenever he saw her. It was cute in a slight saccharine sort of way.
"Well, I'm glad." I was sure Alyssa was silently laughing at me from the other end. "Anyway, I also wanted to tell you that you have to be home this weekend. Mom and Dad are having this big dinner for David and me on Saturday, and the rest of his family is coming too. Now you'll finally be able to meet Ryan."
"Ah, yes." Ryan Wilkinson. He was somewhat of a mystery to me. Even though David and Alyssa had dated for five years, I had never once met David's elusive younger brother. Hell, I even knew David's cousins. Somehow, Ryan had finagled his way out of these Cao-Wilkinson family gatherings. If only I had been clever enough to do the same. Apparently, from what I'd heard, he was very different from his brother in appearance and in personality—which basically meant that he was mean and disrespectful. Wonderful.
I could hear a low rumbling noise from the background. "That's David," Alyssa informed me. "I've got to go. But I will see you this weekend, all right, sis?"
"Sure. And Lyssie?"
"Hmm?"
"I'm really happy for you. You and David are perfect together."
I could hear the smile in her voice when she said, "Thanks, Junie. That means a lot to me, especially when you used to be so judgmental about my old boyfriends." I heard her hang up the phone from the other end. I placed my phone on my desk and leaned back against my chair, playing the conversation over in my mind. It was true. I played the role of the overprotective older brother and usually did the whole twenty-questions spiel on every guy my sister brought home- not that there were many. There was Jeremy Tunstall, whom she dated during her sophomore year of college. He was an okay guy but was way too reserved for my liking. Somehow, my sister managed to hold on to him for a whole year. Then Marty Schubert came along—all six-foot-five-inches of him. I didn't like him a bit. Maybe I was prejudiced against jocks, but he just never gave me a good feeling. I also felt like he only dated my sister because she was pretty and helped him with his homework; I silently cheered when Alyssa had broken things off about three months into the relationship. Finally, David came along… and this time, Alyssa apparently wasn't about to let go of him—which was fine, as long as she didn't make me settle for second place. We were best friends, even with our eight-year age gap. I wasn't about to let some guy get between us, even if the said guy was my sister's future husband.
"You look very tense," observed Amy, dropping her bag on her bed. "You all right?"
"I'm thinking," I told my roommate.
"Ah." She nodded. "Well, I'm sure you're going to rock the genetics midterm exam tomorrow—so don't sweat it."
"I wasn't thinking about the exam, although…" I paused. "I really do need to do some last minute cramming."
"So what were you thinking about?"
"My sister just called. She's getting married." I waited for the inevitable reaction from my friend.
"Really?" Amy gasped, her hands clutching her face. "That's awesome! Your sister's been with her boyfriend forever, so I guess it's not that surprising, huh? Still, I'm so happy for her! She deserves the best."
"She does," I agreed. "So why do I feel weird about it?"
"Well, you are going to get a brother—sort of. And maybe you feel left out? Like, maybe you want a man in your life as well?"
I snorted. "Hardly. I'm happy being single. Boys are nuisances- no offense to Jordan or anything." Well, I wasn't completely genuine about the last comment, but Amy probably already knew that I wasn't too fond of her current boyfriend- not because he was a jock, although that detail may have also factored into my dislike, but because he hardly seemed like the kind of guy who would remain faithful to this girlfriend. I didn't tell Amy any of my thoughts, though, because she seemed happy with the guy and I wasn't that hateful so as to break them up. But still. The guy flirted way too much with girls who were not Amy. He even flirted with me once, right in front of her, although I don't think that Amy noticed. I had almost punched his face that day. If only Amy hadn't been standing right there…
"You shouldn't say that," Amy protested, "especially because you'll be needing a date for your sister's wedding."
"Since when?"
"Well, do you want to be seen by yourself?"
"I don't really care either way."
Amy exhaled, and I grinned. She was forever frustrated with the fact that I showed little to no interest in guys. I was straight, no doubt, but I had no time to go on dates, and I certainly did not want to be one of those one-night stand kinds of girls either. I was just June Cao, a typical, struggling pre-med student with dreams of becoming a world-renowned oncologist. Maybe I'd discover the cure for cancer one day. Who knew? What I did know was the fact that with a guy in my life, I wouldn't even be able to accomplish half the goals that I set out for myself.
"Are you the maid-of-honor, then?" Thankfully, Amy had strayed away from our current topic.
"Alyssa hasn't asked me yet," I replied, "but I'm sure that I will be. I told her eight years ago that she would have to make me the maid-of-honor at her wedding or else.
"So you can get the best man to be your date."
"Why are we talking about my getting a date for this wedding? Did I not just tell you that I want to be single—at least, for now? Maybe I'll tie the knot in, oh, twenty years? After I finish my medical degree, establish my practice, maybe even win the Nobel Prize in Medicine... then maybe I'll think about marriage- or dating. You know."
"That's absolutely ridiculous." Amy didn't push the matter further, however. "When is your sister's wedding?"
"Don't know- she didn't tell me any details."
"Oh, it'll be so romantic." Amy plopped down on her bed and sighed. "I've always wanted a wedding near a lake, in the spring, with everything so green and pretty and alive. What about you, June?"
"Huh?" I looked up from my textbook. "What about me?"
"Where do you want to have your wedding?"
I shrugged. "Don't know- I've never thought about it."
"Never? Not even after you watched those Disney princess movies?"
"Ugh, no. Those movies were hardly romantic. The princes were a bunch of lame dumbasses, and the princesses were stupid damsels in distress. I don't need a prince, thank you very much, because I don't need to be saved. I'll do the saving myself."
"I really can't talk you into getting a boyfriend, can I?"
"Nope. Now, go bother Natalie and Lily while I study for my execution tomorrow."
I often shooed Amy away to go bother our suitemates when I needed some peace and quiet. The four of us shared a suite together—we had a common room and two bedrooms branching off to the side. Natalie and Lily were roommates, as were Amy and I. Despite the separation of sleeping arrangements, though, the four of us formed a close-knit coterie that no one has been able to break through. Sometimes, though, I really needed a break from them and their occasional nagging, which usually consisted of my not having a boyfriend.
As I began another practice problem on the genotypes and phenotypes of monkeys (Seriously? Purple monkeys with flat feet? Did the professor really find it necessary to put his creativity to use on boring problem sets?), I pondered on the idea of Alyssa as a married woman. It was strange. At least I hoped that she'd keep her last name, because I still needed someone to laugh with when people would pronounce our last name, Cao, incorrectly and call us cows instead…
There were very few times in my life in which I wanted to simply drown myself, and today was one of those days. I may have failed my genetics midterm, which would severely affect my final grade for the class, and then how would I get into med school with mediocre scores? I felt tears stinging at my eyes as I trudged back to my dorm. I was relieved, though, since I had completed my last midterm and was free for the weekend- although I did have that stupid dinner thing to attend, in honor of my sister and David. God, the things you did for family.
Just as I was approaching my residential college—there were twelve, and they housed the undergraduate student dorms—I heard a yell from somewhere on my left. Frowning, I turned around and found myself struck with immense force. I tumbled to the grassy earth, my back pressed against my bag. Okay, that was just bizarre. I rubbed my forehead. If someone had just pushed me to the ground, they were so going to get it.
"Oh, gosh, I'm so sorry!" I turned around and saw a boy crouching down next to me, his blue eyes wide. "The brakes on my bike weren't working and I tried to warn you, but it was too late, and then I kind of crashed into you…" he drifted off, and then held out a hand. I stared at it.
"Wait, so you're the asshole that knocked me down?" I didn't care that he was sorry. I was already having a bad day as it was, and his stupid excuse about his brakes not working was not cutting it. "You could have just stopped the bike with your feet, you know."
He scratched the back of his neck. "Well, yeah, but I didn't think of that," he admitted, biting his lip like a little boy in trouble with his parents. Oh, he was in trouble, all right. I was not through with him.
"Well, tough luck," I spat, pushing myself upwards and grabbing my backpack from the ground. "You just made me majorly pissed off, bud."
The boy held up his hands in a gesture of surrender. "Hey, now, don't give me this attitude. I said I was sorry! People make mistakes, you know."
"This was not a mistake—this represents stupidity at its finest."
His eyes narrowed, and his arms went to his hips, resembling a ditzy valley girl. "Look, no one is perfect, obviously—so there's no need for this shit. Can you just accept the apology? I've got places to be right now, froshie."
"I'm a sophomore," I corrected him with a scowl. This boy has got one bad attitude going on. He was the one who started this whole mess, and now he was blaming me for wasting his time? It was his fault for having such a puny brain that gave him terrible emergency reflexes. "And apology is not accepted. However, I do agree that I am wasting my time here with you—so I'm off." I continued my walk to my dorm room without bestowing him another glance. I was in the middle of congratulating myself at having such grace under pressure when I felt something clutch my shoulder. I turned slightly and saw the same dumb blonde boy standing there, glaring at me.
"Hey, if you don't want to accept my apology, then fine. But you owe me an apology! I may even be nice enough to accept it, unlike some people." He smirked, a golden lock of hair falling into his eyes.
"Excuse me?" I sputtered. I couldn't believe this. The nerve of this boy! He was pushing a lost cause, considering the fact that I had enough evidence to sue him in court for physically damaging me. "I'm not apologizing. This whole thing is your fault anyway. Now, I've really got to get back to my room." I wriggled out of his firm grip and speed-walked to the entrance of the building.
"You'll be paying for this!" I heard the boy yell from behind me. I rolled my eyes. What a drama queen. As if I'd actually take his threats seriously- unless he was a part of the mafia, but I highly doubted it. He was the typical all-American boy with blonde hair and blue eyes. He certainly didn't look like those bulky, scary Italian mob members. Plus, his insults were so high school. He was probably a freshman himself, thinking that he could bully a big bad sophomore like me. I placed my ID card over the black box situated at the side of the door and pushed the door open. Ah, home sweet home.
I went up the stairs and pushed open the door of my suite. Oh, good. Since the door had been open, one of my suitemates was already back. I desperately wanted to rant, and I needed a person to listen.
"Hey," said Natalie right when I came through the door. "How was your exam?"
"Sucky," I replied, tossing my bag to the side and not caring that I had probably dented the floor. "And then this stupid guy ran into me with his bike, effectively making this the worst day possible."
"Really? Wow, how stupid."
"Yeah. He came up with some lame ass excuse about his brakes malfunctioning, but really? You go to Yale; you should be able to figure out something before you crash into innocent people who may already be having bad days without you making it much, much worse."
"That's not lame," countered Natalie, enunciating her syllables. "That happened to me once—although I didn't crash into anyone… more like crashed into a tree."
"So that's why you never ride your bike to classes anymore."
She grimaced. "Anyway, Amy told Lily and me that your sister's getting married! That's so great. David's definitely a catch." She winked, and I stifled a groan. Natalie harbored a secret—well, not really, since I was sure that even Alyssa knew—crush on David ever since he and my sister came to visit me last year at school. I wasn't suitemates with Natalie at the time—instead, I was in a suite with rowdy party girls and Amy—but we were good friends from our freshman writing class. She and I had been hanging out with Amy when my sister and David dropped by. The look on her face when she saw David had been priceless. Natalie had always been a sucker for the nerdy-nice guy look, which David nicely epitomized.
"David is so old for you," I pointed out, exasperated. "And talking about my future brother-in-law like that makes me feel weird. But yes, it is a good thing that he and Alyssa are getting married, although the idea still unsettles me. I think it's because I find marriage a strange concept."
"You think marriage is strange? How?"
I struggled for the words. "It's like you have to pick someone to spend the rest of your life with. And you expect them to remain faithful to you, and you to them. And also, there's the topic of kids and how you have to always look happy-go-lucky when they're around, because if you're having problems, you don't want them to see them. Then—"
"Okay, okay, I get the point." Natalie tilted her head to one side, watching me with her hazel eyes. "But your parents are happy, aren't they? So why are you so negative when it comes to marriage?"
"I'm not negative," I retorted, crossing my arms over my chest. "I just don't want Alyssa to become different after she's married, you know? Like, what happens if she suddenly decides she doesn't want to pursue her career and instead wants to stay home and pop out a few kids? That's just not the sort of thing she'd normally do."
"You know it's her choice. Maybe she wants kids."
"Maybe." I had my doubts, though, especially when Alyssa used to say that she didn't want to be pregnant, since the idea of carrying so much extra weight and the pain of childbirth didn't appeal to her very much. Then again, those were her thoughts before she had met David, so maybe her thoughts about children—and many other topics—had changed.
"You just need to get used to the idea," said Natalie with resolution. "Besides, you'll get to meet the cute little brother of David."
I sighed but offered her a smile. "You're right- although not so much about the last part. I think this whole wedding business is totally putting me off boys."
"No way." She frowned and raised her index finger at my direction. "Weddings should make you realize that you need a boy more than ever, June. And who knows? Maybe this Ryan will be the One."
I snorted. I didn't believe in soul mates, but I couldn't help but agree with Natalie. Meeting Ryan was something to look forward to indeed- although I hoped that he was nothing like that stupid Bike Guy from earlier on. Boys like him really did make a girl believe that boys in books were really just much, much better.
AN: Hello all! So I am back, with a revamped story! My last story was supposed to be for NaNoWriMo, but I got lazy, so didn't finish it. Plus, I really didn't like how everything was going. This time, though, I have a new plot, although with the same characters (I will add maybe one or two additional ones, though). Sorry to anyone who has been reading this story before, but I think you'll like the changes that I'll be making! I hope you enjoy :) And please review with any comments or suggestions you may have.
Oh, and character pictures are also up on my profile. Some of them haven't been introduced yet, but will be soon.